O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The most significant moment in the film is when Ulysses, Pete, and Delmar encounter the Blind Seer, and he tells of their future.

"You will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek...Though the road may wind, yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye follow them, even unto your salvation."

O Brother, Where Art Thou? defines road trip with salvation. The Blind Seer directly comes out, and tells the trio (and the audience) the purpose and outcome of their trip. Their journey goes on to fulfill this fortune with the baptism scene, saving Tommy from being hung, being pardoned by Pappy at the campaign dinner, and the flooding of the valley. All of these scenes enforce the idea that the men are traveling for salvation.

Do you think there is any connection between Ulysses' lie about stealing money from an armored car and George Nelson (the bank robber)?

O Brother, Where art thou?

I thought the significant scene of the film was when three of them sneaked into the campaign dinner and performed as three old man. It shows the three of them working together and realizing the changes they have obtained through the companionship in this journey. It is this scene audience's overwhelming support of their music, shows that they have changed from running from the law to becoming accepted by the society. Also, Everett realized he has reached his 'treasure' of becoming 'bona fide' to his wife. The road trip served as an adventure for these men to move away from the past and bond together through the hardships they encountered.

Why is this film called, "O Brother, Where art thou?" Does it refers to the bonding of these three mans eventually becoming brothers to each other and that they worry for each other?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

"I am a man of constant sorrow, I've seen trouble all my days."

I think this line is significant to the movie because this road trip is about finding forgiveness in the wake of trouble. Along with what Hayley said, the movie is about redemption and salvation and this song expresses that sentiment. The men realize that they have crimes in their past but they hope to find through acts like baptism and this trip that they can redeem themselves.

Another line that stands out in the song is when they mention they haven't been able to find any pleasures on earth. They realize that any of the infractions that they committed was based off of greed and did not fulfill any of their needs.

The trip is not only about finding "treasures" but it was mostly about these men finding atonement within society and themselves. I believe this movie is trying to say that road trips are sometimes about finding that you can be better and that you can have better. As long as you have the desire to want to be better, you can put your past away and move onto your present and future.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I felt the film was defining a road trip as redemption or salvation, a way to rectify or wash away their past sins and transgressions, so to speak. The scene where Delmar is baptized helps to illustrate this idea.

Pete: Well I'll be a sonofabitch. Delmar's been saved.

Delmar: Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed.

Another scene that helps to illustrate this idea is when the valley is flooded right before Tommy, Pete, Delmar, and Everett are to be hanged. (Earlier in the movie Tommy describes the devil as "white, as white as you folks, with empty eyes and a big hollow voice. He likes to travel around with a mean old hound." --which is Sheriff Cooley) So, the flooding of the valley saves the men from the devil himself, and literally washes away their past.

Both of these scenes use the image of water to symbolize the rinsing away of their past life, purifying and baptizing them into their new life. This imagery helps to reinforce my definition of their road trip.

Question: George Clooney's character is Ulysses Everett McGill. Throughout the movie, Pete and Delmar refer to him as Everett, and not Ulysses. Why is this? Is it significant?

O Brother, Where Art Thou

I thought that the scene where Everett admits that there is no buried treasure was significant. Before this, Everett, Pete, and Delmar are looking for their freedom and for this treasure. Everett admits that his true purpose was to get his wife back, and with nothing to lose, Everett sets out on the adventure. If he loses his wife and children, then he would have nothing left. Although Pete and Delmar seem to have been deceived by Everett, they still follow him, which shows that this movie is also about companionship. They stick together even though Everett has gotten them into big trouble. As Pete mentioned, he was going to be set free in two weeks, but now that they've broken out of the prison house, he'll be stuck there until he is eighty-four years old. They almost get hanged, but in the end, Everett achieves his goal.

Zombieland

I thought the scene in the movie that supported this definition of a road trip was when Tallahase, Columbus, Little Rock, and Wichita are in Billy Mays' house playing Monopoly. Monopoly is a game that families often play together, and this scene shows that they are bonding, especially because this is the moment when Tallahase reveals what it is that he is really running from - the loss of his son. This shows that in this movie, a major component of a road trip is the relationship that grows between characters as they face conflict together. The farther they go and the more that they deal with, the more they learn about each other and the closer they become, until at the end Columbus recognizes that this is the closest thing he has ever had to a family. I think this scene is important because it is the first time that we get a glimpse of these characters as a type of family.

In the very end of the movie, I thought that Tallahase was going to sacrafice himself to save the others, because as Columbus points out earlier in the movie: "Once you take a man's son away from him, he has nothing left to lose." Why do you think Tallahase lived in the end? What does this say about this movie's definition of a road trip?

Zombieland

The most significant moment to me was when Wichita pulled over the Hummer so Columbus could get out and take the truck to find "whoever he was looking for" as Wichita put it. Columbus decides, however to get back in the car and finish the journey with Wichita, Little Rock and Tallahassee. This is the moment when Columbus realizes that there is more to life than being alone and shutting yourself in. He took a chance and got out of his comfort zone and realized that maybe he could be a happy social person. He wants to stay and be with Wichita wherever she goes, so he continues on the road trip. For Columbus, Wichita gives him hope and faith that he can survive this Zombieland and become a changed person. Even when Wichita convinces him to take off his seatbelt, he says something like "Wow it is kind of freeing". Columbus realizes at this moment that he never really was close with his family and I think he kind of regrets it. He makes a decision when he gets back in and shuts the Hummer door that this will be his new "family" and even later in the movie he says that these people were the closest he ever got to what he really wanted. This scene really puts emphasis on the road trip giving Columbus companionship, hope and change in his personality and outlook on life.

Question: Why does Wichita have such trust issues? Wouldn't she feel more protected with 2 guys there to help her survive, rather than feel threatened by them?

Zombieland

" I could tell she knew what I was feeling, we all are orphans in Zombieland." - Columbus

I believe this line was a significant moment in Zombieland because for Columbus this road trip was to find if his parents were still alive in this zombie apocalypse. Along the way he finds out that his hometown was taken over by zombies causing him to choose to stay with the group instead of looking for his parents. He recognizes along with Wichita, Little Rock, and Tallahassee that although they may be "orphans" and not have their families that through this road trip they became a family. No longer could Columbus play it safe and follow his rules but he needed to get over his phobias and let his life play its course on this road.

My question is why does Tallahassee reveal the death of his son to the group?

Zombieland

The scene where Columbus says, "It had to be a clown. No, it had to be a clown, and it had to be Wichita for me to finally understand that some rules are made to be broken." (Rule #17: Don't be a hero.) Columbus is faced with his biggest fear, which stands between him and Wichita. Not only is Wichita the girl he desires, but she has become an integral part of the "cool, functional family" he has longed to be a member of. Although he created this list of rules to stay alive, before meeting the other characters, how alive was he? He was a loner with IBS, pride and dignity were long gone, and he avoided people. The road trip gave him a chance to connect with people and to find what he always wanted, a girl to love and a functional family. But, in order to keep these things, he's going to have to break old habits, face his fears, and break his own rules. At that point in his life, it was time for him to either nut up or shut up.

Question: What was the purpose of using hometown nicknames?

Zombieland

I thought the most significant part of the movie was when they were on the road switching drivers from time to time. I thought here, they learned a lot about each others and showed each other their true selves as they trust each others more and more. I feel like this movie defines "road trip" as way to gain knowledge about your companions and share different experiences with them.

Why didn't Columbus go and check if his family was still alive or not?

Zombieland

I feel like the whole movie is significant for Columbus, as he seems to be searching for a "family that he never had." But the most significant moment for me was at the very end when Columbus finally has the guts to kiss Wichita. It's at that moment that Columbus narrates to the audience that despite not having a family growing up, he now feels like he has a family that consists of himself, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock after all they went through at Pacific Playland (a place where they thought no zombies existed). In terms of travel and road tripping, I think this movie kind of fades away from what we have been discussing in class because the other movies and readings seem to have no set plan as to where they are going. However, in Zombieland, Columbus lays out the so-called "rules" for the road in the beginning (i.e. fasten your seat belt, double tap and don't try to be a hero), and abides by them up until the last scene when he tries to become the hero and impress the girl.

Do you think that having "rules for the road," although not stringent like Columbus', is necessary to have a better road trip?

Thelma and Louise

The moment when Louise is talking to Jimmy was significant to me. He asks her if she thinks she's the only one with dreams that didn't work out, and she says, "… I think its time to just let go of the old mistakes; just chalk it up to bad timing. I think it's time to let go."

While they are specifically talking about their relationship together, I think this is a great example that can be applied to their entire road trip. Their road trip is a way to let go of their mistakes and escape those dreams that didn't work out.

If they hadn't been on the run, would Louise have married Jimmy, or would she still feel the need to let go of old mistakes and move on?